Recent Advances in External-Directing-Group-Free C-H Functionalization of Carboxylic Acids without Decarboxylation

The selective functionalization of C-H bonds is an extremely important topic in present-day organic synthesis, as it utilizes the most abundant portion of a molecule as a tool for synthetic manipulations. Despite the great progress over the past decade, the major limitation remains the use of an equivalent amount of a directing group to generate the product. The utilization of a native carboxylate group for the same purpose has come up as a better alternative to perform C-H activation, as no exogenous directing group is required to perform the reaction. In this Perspective, we intend to provide a broader picture of transformations that have been carried out by assistance from the carboxylate group and could be applied routinely in the synthesis of complex molecules. The intact carboxylic group in the substrate could be further transformed into different functional moieties, which increases the diversity of such reactions. Extensive coverage of the topic of carboxylate-aided functionalizations of organic molecules without decarboxylation is expected to make this Perspective unique and extremely beneficial to researchers in academia and industry.

Automated summary

Selective functionalization of C-H bonds is a crucial topic in organic synthesis, utilizing the abundant portion of a molecule for synthetic manipulations. Utilizing native carboxylate groups for C-H activation can eliminate the need for exogenous directing groups, increasing reaction diversity. The coverage of carboxylate-aided functionalizations of organic molecules without decarboxylation is expected to be unique and beneficial for researchers in academia and industry.